Recipes, reviews and recreation with the Madhouse Family - two parents, three kids, two dogs, all bilingual !

Monday, 16 October 2017

The Good Egg Card Challenge: Social Kindness Game review

Did you know that 17th February is the annual Random Acts of Kindness Day? That doesn't mean you can't be nice to friends, family and even complete strangers on every other day of the year though, and The Good Egg Card Challenge is a great way to help inspire yourself, your children or, if you're a teacher, your pupils to see how they can do simple things to brighten up the lives of the people they encounter.

There is no need for instructions - the introduction cards explain that "this pack of cards is a portable adventure to discover if you are truly a 'good egg' ", which they define as "a kind person with great standards and qualities such as being helpful and good to other people". There is even a quotation from Sophocles to motivate you : "To be doing good deeds is man's most glorious task".

There are 50 cards that are split into five categories : Giving, Caring, Thanking, Amusing and Surprising. Some are genuinely useful deeds, some will provide little unexpected awww-moments in someone's day, while some are just plain silly to put a smile on someone's face - probably including your own, whichever category you have drawn.

Some are very simple and won't take you out of your comfort zone, however shy or introverted you are - for example, "send a postcard/greetings card to an old friend to say hi" or "smiling is contagious - make 8 people smile in one day and give this card to one of them", while others (such as drawing a fake moustache on your face and walking down the street to make people laugh) require slightly more confidence !

There may be random acts of kindness that you already do or some that you had never thought of doing - taking your old books to a charity shop or paying for the coffee or bus fare of the person behind you in the queue can both be done on a regular basis, for example.

Other cards make you think about different ways of seeing the world and how you react to and interact with it. Rather than getting annoyed and impatient when you're in a queue, "swap places with the person behind you in the queue" - this will be particularly appreciated by a parent of a fraught toddler on the verge of a tantrum - or "help a spider out of your house/building without squashing it".

There are no rules - you can select a random card or go through the pack to choose one that appeals to you, you can play by yourself, with friends or family or even in a group such as a class or scout group. You could even buy packs for your friends and challenge yourself to a battle of kindness to see who can complete the most challenges in a set time. With Christmas on the way, it would be ideal as a Secret Santa gift or a stocking filler too.

As an added bonus, performing acts of kindness has been scientifically proven to make people happier, slow ageing and improve relationships. In the current climate of doom and gloom, with everyone worried about everything from Brexit and terrorism to world politics and a potential new world war looming on the horizon, anything that can put a smile on people's faces and restore their faith in human kindness even for just a moment has to be a good thing.

About Me

I'm mum to Sophie (born in 2001), Juliette (born in 2005) and Pierre (born in 2009). We're all French/English bilingual - even our two dogs Didou and Vicky ! If you have any comments or want me to review your products or host a giveaway, you can contact me at cherylpasquier2002@yahoo.fr .